Fishing rod strike indicator for increasing reaction time

ABSTRACT

A fishing rod strike indicator for increasing reaction time for use with a fishing rod including at least one rod guide and fishing line, a rod station being formed in a rectangular configuration with an outer surface, an inner surface, two apertures and two VELCRO bands each coupled through one of the apertures, the inner surface of the rod station being positioned upon a fishing rod adjacent a rod guide, the VELCRO bands of the rod station being wrapped around the fishing rod then through the rod station and folded back and coupled to itself to secure the rod station to the rod; and at least one generally elliptical ring having a folded region and an inner surface including VELCRO loop strips coupled to the folded region, the VELCRO loop Strips of the folded region of a ring being couplable to the VELCRO bands of the rod station, one ring being coupled to the apparatus during use, in an operative orientation a ring being pulled downward with a quarter turn whereby the elliptic ends of the ring engage a fishing line thereby extending the line away from the fishing rod and rod guide, the extended line enhancing a user&#39;s ability to detect bites from fish.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a fishing rod strike indicator forincreasing reaction time and more particularly pertains to adjusting afishing rod line to enhance a user's ability to detect bites.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The use of fishing accessories is known in the prior art. Morespecifically, fishing accessories heretofore devised and utilized forthe purpose of accesorizing conventional fishing gear are known toconsist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structuralconfigurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by thecrowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment ofcountless objectives and requirements.

By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,928 to Deskerich discloses afishing line rod bobber.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,031 to Sousa discloses a bite indicator for fishinggear.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,318 to Durham discloses a fish strike indicator.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,864 to Bowles discloses a visual fishing aid.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,957 to Cunningham discloses a fishing rod holder andindicator assembly.

U.S. Pat. No. Des. 326,136 to Hochstetler discloses an ice fishing linemovement indicator.

While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objective andrequirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a fishing rodstrike indicator for increasing reaction time for adjusting a fishingrod line to enhance a user's ability to detect bites.

In this respect, the fishing rod strike indicator for increasingreaction time according to the present invention substantially departsfrom the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and indoing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose ofadjusting a fishing rod line to enhance a user's ability to detectbites.

Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need fornew and improved fishing rod strike indicator for increasing reactiontime which can be used for adjusting a fishing rod line to enhance auser's ability to detect bites. In this regard, the present inventionsubstantially fulfills this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known typesof fishing accessories now present in the prior art, the presentinvention provides an improved fishing rod strike indicator forincreasing reaction time. As such, the general purpose of the presentinvention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is toprovide a new and improved fishing rod strike indicator for increasingreaction time and method which has all the advantages of the prior artand none of the disadvantages.

To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a new andimproved fishing rod strike indicator for increasing reaction timecomprising, in combination: a combination fishing rod and reel, the rodbeing formed in an elongated generally cylindrical configuration with aninboard end including a handle, the fishing rod including at least onegenerally circular rod guide, the reel being attached to the fishing rodadjacent the handle, the reel including winding means, fishing linebeing wound within the reel and positioned through the rod guides; a rodstation being fabricated of rigid plastic and formed in a generallyrectangular configuration with a convex outer surface, a concave innersurface and two rectangular shaped apertures, the rod station having aninboard end including two projecting members, the rod station furtherincluding two VELCRO bands each coupled through one of the rectangularshaped apertures, each VELCRO band having an outer surface and an innersurface including VELCRO hooks, the outer surface of each VELCRO bandfurther including a lower region with VELCRO loops, in an operativeorientation the inner surface of the rod station being positioned uponthe fishing rod adjacent the rod guide, the VELCRO bands of the rodstation being wrapped around the fishing rod then through the rodstation and folded back and coupled to itself to secure the rod stationto the rod; and a large ring, a medium ring and a small ring, each ringbeing fabricated of smooth rigid plastic, each ring being shaped in agenerally elliptical configuration and folded along its center point toform a generally V-shaped configuration, each ring having a foldedregion, each ring having an inner surface including VELCRO loop stripscoupled to the folded region, in an inoperative orientation the VELCROloop strips of the folded region of a ring being coupled to the bands ofthe rod station, only one of the rings being coupled to the apparatusduring use, in an operative orientation a ring being pulled downwardwith a quarter turn by the user whereby the elliptic ends of the ringengage the fishing line thereby extending the line away from the fishingrod and rod guide, the extended line enhancing a user's ability todetect bites from fish.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention in order that the detailed description thereofthat follows may be better understood, and in order that the presentcontribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course,additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafterand which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of theinvention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited in its application to the details of construction and to thearrangements of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminologyemployed herein are for the purpose of description and should not beregarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially thescientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiarwith patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from acursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure ofthe application. The abstract is neither intended to define theinvention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is itintended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved fishing rod strike indicator for increasing reaction time whichhas all the advantages of the prior art fishing accessories and none ofthe disadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved fishing rod strike indicator for increasing reaction time whichmay be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved fishing rod strike indicator for increasing reaction time whichis of durable and reliable construction.

An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved fishing rod strike indicator for increasing reaction time whichis susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to bothmaterials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of lowprices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such a fishingrod strike indicator for increasing reaction time economically availableto the buying public.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a newand improved fishing rod strike indicator for increasing reaction timewhich provides in the apparatuses end methods of the prior art some ofthe advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of thedisadvantages normally associated therewith.

Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a newand improved fishing rod strike indicator for increasing reaction timefor adjusting a fishing rod line to enhance a user's ability to detectbites.

Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved fishing rod strike indicator for increasing reaction time foruse in association with a fishing rod including at least one rod guide,a fishing reel and fishing line, the apparatus comprises a rod stationformed in a rectangular configuration with an outer surface, an innersurface and two apertures, the rod station further including two VELCRObands each coupled through one of the apertures, in an operativeorientation the inner surface of the rod station being positioned upon afishing rod adjacent a rod guide, the VELCRO bands of the rod stationbeing wrapped around the fishing rod then through the rod station andfolded back and coupled to itself to secure the rod station to the rod;and at least one generally elliptical ring having a folded region and aninner surface including VELCRO loop strips coupled to the folded region,in an inoperative orientation the VELCRO loop strips of the foldedregion of a ring being coupled to the VELCRO bands of the rod station,one ring being coupled to the apparatus during use, in an operativeorientation a ring being pulled downward with a quarter turn by the userwhereby the elliptic ends of the ring engage a fishing line therebyextending the line away from the fishing rod and rod guide, the extendedline enhancing a user's ability to detect bites from fish.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with thevarious features of novelty which characterize the invention, arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention,its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses,reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptivematter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those setforth above will become apparent when consideration is given to thefollowing detailed description thereof. Such description makes referenceto the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the fishingrod strike indicator for increasing reaction time constructed inaccordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an isolated perspective view illustrating the fishing line inan extended orientation.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the rod station of theapparatus.

FIG. 4 is an isolated perspective view of the large, medium and smallrings of the apparatus.

FIG. 5 a cross-sectional view of the large ring of the apparatus takenalong section line 5--5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an isolated perspective view of the rod station illustratingthe VELCRO bands of the apparatus.

The same reference numerals refer to the same parts through the variousFigures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular, to FIG. 1thereof, the preferred embodiment of the new and improved fishing rodstrike indicator for increasing reaction time embodying the principlesand concepts of the present invention and generally designated by thereference number 10 will be described.

Specifically, it will be noted in the various Figures that the devicerelates to a fishing rod strike indicator for increasing reaction time10 for adjusting a fishing rod line to enhance a user's ability todetect bites.

In its broadest context, the device consists of a fishing rod 12, a rodstation 14, and three rings 16, 18, 20. Such components are individuallyconfigured and correlated with respect to each other so as to attain thedesired objective.

A combination fishing rod and reel is included with the apparatus. Therod 12 is formed in an elongated generally cylindrical configurationwith an inboard end which includes a handle 22. The fishing rod includesat least one generally circular rod guide 24. In the preferredembodiment a double footed rod guide is included. The reel 26 isattached to the fishing rod adjacent the handle. The reel includeswinding means. In the preferred embodiment, the winding means is amanual handle 28. Fishing line 30 is wound within the reel andpositioned through the rod guides. In alternate embodiments a fishingrod is not included with the apparatus. Rather the rod station and ringsare adapted to be coupled to an existing fishing rod. Note FIG. 1.

The rod station 14 is fabricated of rigid plastic. The rod station isformed in a generally rectangular configuration with a convex outersurface 32, a concave inner surface and two rectangular shaped apertures34. The rod station has an outboard end which includes two projectingmembers 36. The rod station further includes two VELCRO bands 38. Eachof the bands is coupled through one of the rectangular shaped apertures.Each VELCRO band has an outer surface and an inner surface, bothincluding VELCRO hooks 40. The outer surface of each VELCRO band furtherincludes a lower region with VELCRO loops 42. In an operativeorientation the inner surface of the rod station is positioned upon thefishing rod 12 adjacent the rod guide 24. The lower region of the VELCRObands are wrapped around the fishing rod, threaded through their rodstation apertures on the other side, then folded back and coupled to itsouter surface. This functions to secure the rod station to the rod. NoteFIGS. 2, 3 and 6.

A large ring 16, a medium ring 18 and a small ring 20 are each includedwith the apparatus. Each ring is fabricated of smooth rigid plastic.Each ring is shaped in a generally elliptical configuration and foldedalong its center point to form a generally V-shaped configuration. Eachring has a folded region 44. Each ring has an inner surface 46 whichincludes VELCRO loop strips 48 which are coupled to the folded region.Note FIGS. 2, 4 and 5.

In an inoperative orientation the VELCRO loop strips 48 of the foldedregion of a ring are coupled to the VELCRO bands 38 of the rod station.Only one of the rings is coupled to the apparatus during use. A user maychoose the small ring, the medium ring or the large ring depending onthe bait he uses and the fish he is trying to catch. In an operativeorientation the ring is pulled downward with a quarter turn by the user.This action causes the elliptic ends of the ring to engage the fishingline 30, thereby extending the line away from the fishing rod 12 and rodguide 24. The extended line enhances a user's ability to detect bitesfrom fish. Note FIGS. 1 and 2.

Additional information regarding the preferred embodiment of the fishingrod strike indicator for increasing reaction time is summarized below:

Attaching the rod Station:

There are 2 ways to attach the rod station depending on which rod typeis used and which size ring is used.

Spinning rods can be classified into 2 types:

1) rods with single-footed rod guides

2) rods with double-footed rod guides (these are the big saltwater typesand the old-fashioned made in the 60's & 70's types)

The small ring can only be used in a modified configuration of the rodstation. In this configuration, the rod station body is on the bottom ofthe rod. With other single-footed rod guides the heavier rings are used.In this configuration, the rod station body is on the top of the rod.

DISCUSSION ABOUT THE RING:

There are 3 different weights in 2 different ring sizes.

    ______________________________________                                        small = 1/16 oz.                                                                         large - 1/8 oz.                                                                           large & heavy = 1/4 oz.                                (hot pink) (blaze orange)                                                                            (glow-in-the-dark/chartreuse)                          ______________________________________                                    

Three different weights are utilized because some fish are picky aboutwhat their food feels like. Trout are like this. If they feel too muchresistance in their food, they'll spit it out. The small ring is idealfor this although hatchery trout are often dumb enough that the 1/8 oz.ring can be used. The large & heavy ring is for night fishing forcatfish which is very popular. Catfish are not sensitive when it comesto resistance although the ones smaller than 3 pounds tend to be. Whenthere is enough current or wind, a heavier ring like this 1/4 oz. willdo just fine.

The large 1/8 oz. ring is the ideal all-purpose weight for most immobilebait fishing applications. Indeed, the other 2 are only for specialcircumstances. I'm sure that the Dept. of Transportation designated thecolor blaze orange for traffic cones for a reason. It is the mostvisible under almost all lighting conditions and that is why thisall-purpose ring should be in blaze orange. These 3 weights are standardin the industry and recognizable by the public.

The color hot pink is popular among women. Trout fishing is popularamong women. The small ring is good for trout. Yellow would look toomuch like the glow-in-the-dark/chartreuse. White is too plain and notvery visible in some conditions.

Why the butterfly shape?

Actually, this was the first shape that I thought of until I found thata round flat shape was simpler. However, I recently discovered that whenusing braided fishing line, which is very limp, the ring would tangle ifit would be bumped and spun while dangling in the "down" position. Thebraided line would not have enough memory stiffness to unravel itselfwhen tension (a fish) would be applied. (The butterfly shape "grabs" therod station better in the "up" position, it's more stable.)

In the butterfly shape, both segments of dangling line are separatedfrom each other. Each segment occupies a butterfly wing and thereforenever touch each other. Note: the bottom space diameter should notexceed the space height for good stability.

Definitions:

the "UP" position--when the ring is attached to the rod station.

the "DOWN" position--when the ring is dangling line segments waiting fora fish to bite.

DISCUSSION ABOUT THE ROD STATION:

The driving concept behind the rod station is ONE SIZE FITS ALL. The rodstation is meant to be stationed at arm's length away, preferably at therod guide closest to the reel. This is possible except for 2circumstances: when the big saltwater spinning rods are used, and whenthe small ring is used on a medium to large rod whose lower rod(single-footed) guides may be too large for the small ring to fitaround.

In these cases, the rod station would have to be stationed higher up onthe rod until a "compatible" rod guide is found. In my research with thebig saltwater spinning rods, the rod station was always able to becompatible with the second to the largest rod guide, thereby beingalways at arm's reach. This is important for convenience.

LIMITING FACTORS:

I did not want to use a ring that looks too big and awkward for itsfirst introduction into the market. (Maximum space dimensions: 2") I didnot want to make different rod station sizes for its first introductioninto the market. I wanted a rod station that would wrap around a verybig rod and also fit around a very small rod.

What I came up with is a rod station with dimensions as universal aspractically possible. It can be used with all spinning rods in apractical manner (except for those tiny micro-lite rods which can bebent double by a minnow). For it to fit on the largest rod guide forevery spinning rod, single-footed or double-footed, there would have tobe different sizes of rod stations corresponding to different sizes ofrings. Individually ideal as that may be, it would cause too muchconfusion for an introductory item and too high of a production cost.(At least at first.)

DISCUSSION ABOUT THE RING PROTOTYPES AND ROD STATION PROTOTYPE:

For a ONE SIZE FITS ALL concept, the rod station needed to straddle a13/4" double-footed rod guide (measured from front "ankle" to back"ankle") which is the maximum sized rod guide the rod station canaccommodate.

The 1/8 oz. ring and the 1/4 oz. ring sizes where decided from thedimensions of the rod station.

A near dilemma came when I realized the big rings have to be largeenough to straddle the 13/4" double-footed rod guide yet be light enoughto weigh only 1/8 oz. Once this was accomplished, making the 1/4 oz.ring would be easy by making the 1/8 oz. ring wider (not thicker becausewider has more surface area for visibility).

The rod station is made from 1/2" PVC 1120-1220 pipe. The VELCRO strapsare from the "Glue-on tape for rough surfaces" package.

Note how the entire width of the VELCRO strap contains the hook surfaceinstead of the normal VELCRO which has bald edges. This is important.The fuzzy VELCRO patches on the lower region of the straps are nothingspecial however and you can see bald edges on these.

A logo is engraved in blaze orange on the rod station. The body ispainted black but could also be painted gray.

The material used for the ring is smooth like PVC, but not tacky likeaquarium tubing.

The glue used to stick fuzzy VELCRO on the rings comes from the sameVELCRO package mentioned above, although it says on the package that itis not to be used on PVC pipe. It works better than Fishing Glue whichhas the same active ingredient as in Krazy Glue.

HOW IT WORKS:

In the UP position, the ring is out of the way of the line being castout. After the cast, the rod is set on a stand at a 45 degree angle orless. The closer the rod parallels the ground, as it is suspended on astand, the more effective is the apparatus in doubling the angle'sresponse time once it begins to move from a bite.

The ring is now removed from its rod station, ROTATED ONE-QUARTER TURNso each wing space straddles a line segment, and then pulled down to theground so each wing tip now dangles a segment of the line. This is theDOWN position.

When a fish pulls, the front line segment is pulled up first due to lessfriction (if the rod is parallel--if the rod is at a 45 degree angle,both segments come up at the same time), swinging the ring up andforward; and then as the fish continues pulling, the ring travelsbackwards towards the rod station's rod guide. The angler then sets thehook as the ring is touching or nearly touching the rod guide. Theangler can fight the fish as the ring flops around the rod guideunsecured because as long as the angler maintains constant tension onthe line there is no chance of the ring tangling the line. If the anglerso wishes, the ring can be secured during the fight by just reaching outwith one hand and doing the opposite motion used to get it to the downposition: ONE-QUARTER TURN done after it is lifted up from the line, andthen pushed up to its VELCRO attachments on the rod station.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION:

1) The apparatus doubles the angler's response time if the rod parallelsthe ground, and increases it by 50% if the rod is at a 45 degree anglewhich is still quite substantial.

2) The rod station and rings cannot be used on non-spinning rods unlessthe rods have at least one rod guide standing far enough from the rodshaft so that the line won't rub against any part of the rod station.

3) The VELCRO adhesive glue should be replaced if PVC is ultimately usedfor the ring due to the warning by the VELCRO company.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING USE OF THE APPARATUS:

1) In the "UP" position the cooperatively coupled ring is tucked awaysecurely and does not touch the line so it does not interfere withcasting.

2) In the "DOWN" position 2 sections of the line are extended from therod. This up to DOUBLES the amount of time the fisherman can get to hisrod once he sees it moving from a bite.

3) In the "DOWN" position, the use of 3 line guides anchors the ringsfrom spinning due to line twist. However, it will tangle from excessiveline twist.

8) Regarding Point #2: No fishing invention has ever made use of 2sections of rod line. No modification by any fisherman have I ever heardor seen use 2 sections of rod line in my 24 years of fishing.

9) All this is a comparison with the usual signal used for bait fishing,that is the use of a plastic bobber dangling from 1 section of rod line.The amount of space from rod to ground limits the amount of dangling rodline (1 section) for reaction time.

10) I determined the weight of the rings by the size of the target fishand/or fishing line strength used by the angler. An angler using heavystrength line such as 15-20 lb. test is probably fishing for big fish.Big fish are not sensitive to care about pulling a 1/4 oz. ring butsmall fish are. The large ring must not be too light because thickmonofilament line has memory coils that will not hang down smoothly witha weight too light. As a general rule: small ring for small fish (orlarge sensitive fish such as big trout fished with light line), large &heavy ring for large fish fished with strong line, and the large (1/8oz.) ring for most freshwater fishing (with bait). As a general rule:small ring=1/16 oz., large=1/8 oz., large a heavy=1/4 oz. The ring,plastic or otherwise, must not have any sharp edges or notches whichwill hurt fishing line. The "fuzzy" VELCRO does not "catch" fishingline.

11) It is important that the fisherman wait until the ring has traveledall the way up or almost all the way up to the "UP" position beforehitting the fish (setting the hook) to prevent "ROD-WRAPAROUND".

12) As long as the ring has not wrapped around the rod while setting thehook, the fisherman does not have to attach the ring to the rod VELCROwhile fighting the fish. It will not tangle as it flops aroundharmlessly during the fight.

As to the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, thesame should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, nofurther discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will beprovided.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized thatthe optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, toinclude variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and themanner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent andobvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships tothose illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification areintended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. Further, since numerous modification andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operationshown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modification andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of theinvention.

What is claimed as being new and desired to be protected by LettersPatent of the United States is as follows:
 1. A fishing rod strikeindicator for increasing reaction time with the fishing reel in gearcomprising, in combination:a combination fishing rod and reel, the rodbeing formed in an elongated generally cylindrical configuration with aninboard end including a handle, the fishing rod including at least onegenerally circular rod guide, the reel being attached to the fishing rodadjacent the handle, the reel including winding means, fishing linebeing wound within the reel and positioned through at least one rodguide; a rod station being fabricated of rigid plastic and formed in agenerally rectangular configuration with a convex outer surface, aconcave inner surface and two rectangular shaped apertures, the rodstation having an outboard end including two projecting members, the rodstation further including two hook and loop fastener bands each coupledthrough one of the rectangular shaped apertures, each hook and loopfastener band having an outer surface and an inner surface includinghook and loop fastener hooks, the outer surface of each hook and loopfastener band further including a lower region with hook and loopfastener loops, in an operative orientation the inner surface of the rodstation being positioned upon the fishing rod adjacent the rod guide,the hook and loop fastener bands of the rod station being wrapped aroundthe fishing rod then through the rod station and folded back and coupledto itself to secure the rod station to the rod; and a large ring, alarge & heavy ring and a small ring, each ring being fabricated ofsmooth rigid plastic, each ring being shaped in a generally ellipticalconfiguration and folded along its center point to form a generallyV-shaped configuration, each ring having a folded region, each ringhaving an inner surface including hook and loop fastener loop stripscoupled to the folded region, in an inoperative orientation the hook andloop fastener strips of the folded region of a ring being coupled to thebands of the rod station, only one of the rings being coupled to theapparatus during use, in an operative orientation a ring being pulleddownward with a quarter turn by the user whereby the elliptic ends ofthe ring engage the fishing line thereby extending the line away fromthe fishing rod and rod guide, the extended line enhancing a user'sability to detect bites from fish while the line is engaged by thefishing reel.
 2. A fishing rod strike indicator for increasing reactiontime for use in association with a fishing rod including at least onerod guide, a fishing reel and fishing line, the apparatus comprising:arod station being formed in a generally rectangular configuration withan outer surface, an inner surface and two apertures, the rod stationfurther including two VELCRO bands each coupled through one of theapertures, in an operative orientation the inner surface of the rodstation being positioned upon a fishing rod adjacent a rod guide, theVELCRO bands of the rod station being wrapped around the fishing rodthen through the rod station and folded back and coupled to itself tosecure the rod station to the rod; and at least one generally ellipticalring having a folded region and an inner surface including VELCRO loopstrips coupled to the folded region, in an inoperative orientation theVELCRO loop strips of the folded region of a ring being coupled to theVELCRO bands of the rod station, one ring being coupled to the apparatusduring use, in an operative orientation a ring being pulled downwardwith a quarter turn by the user whereby the elliptic ends of the ringengage a fishing line thereby extending the line away from the fishingrod and rod guide, the extended line enhancing a user's ability todetect bites from fish.
 3. The fishing rod strike indicator forincreasing reaction time with the fishing reel in gear as set forth inclaim 2 wherein the rod has a rod station being formed in a generallyrectangular configuration with an outer surface, an inner surface andtwo apertures, the coupling means including two hook and loop fastenerbands each coupled through one of the apertures, in an operativeorientation the inner surface of the rod station being positioned upon afishing rod adjacent a rod guide, the hook and loop fastener bands ofthe rod station being wrapped around the fishing rod then through therod station and folded back and coupled to itself to secure the rodstation to the rod, the coupling means further including hook and loopfastener loop strips attached to an inner surface of the ring means forallowing the selective coupling and decoupling thereof to the hook andloop fastener of the rod.
 4. The fishing rod strike indicator forincreasing reaction time as set forth in claim 2 wherein the rod stationhas an inboard end including two projecting members.
 5. The fishing rodstrike indicator for increasing reaction time as set forth in claim 4wherein each VELCRO band has an outer surface and an inner surfaceincluding VELCRO hooks, the outer surface of each VELCRO band furtherincluding a lower region with VELCRO loops.
 6. The fishing rod strikeindicator for increasing reaction time as set forth in claim 5 wherein alarge ring, a large & heavy ring and a small ring are included with theapparatus.
 7. The fishing rod strike indicator for increasing reactiontime as set forth in claim 6 wherein the rings are fabricated of smoothrigid plastic.
 8. The fishing rod strike indicator for increasingreaction time as set forth in claim 7 wherein each ring is shaped in agenerally elliptical configuration and folded along its center point toform a generally V-shaped configuration.